The Official Carmina Sizing Thread

[BurgundyOxfords]

365 is rounder and Oscar longer but it's mostly aesthetic Fit is very close
same shoe tree
View attachment 1756349

i believe the 365 is mor big toe friendly due to its asymmetrical shape

 

[smarley]

Hi all,
I have seen several comments regarding the large heel inside dimension of the Rain last, but nobody seems to mention if it’s a deal-breaker or not.
I can see where it might be a problem with a slip-on, but can someone comment on the width of the Rain-lasted heel cup for an Oxford?
I have Carminas on the Forest and Inca lasts, and the heel fit is fine.
Will a lace-up on the Rain be disappointingly loose?
10.5d/9.5E, high instep.

Thanks for any insights!

 

[bjornb17]

Quick update on my Carmina experience. I had ordered 5 custom pairs of shoes through their configurator. Unfortunately of the 5 pairs 3 were incorrect, either made to the wrong size or not to the requested specifications. Customer service has been bit hit or miss, it has taken up to a month to get an answer in some cases. Their products are very high quality but I feel like they are struggling to keep up with demand and are making a lot of mistakes?

 

[TheLawBeard]

Quick update on my Carmina experience. I had ordered 5 custom pairs of shoes through their configurator. Unfortunately of the 5 pairs 3 were incorrect, either made to the wrong size or not to the requested specifications. Customer service has been bit hit or miss, it has taken up to a month to get an answer in some cases. Their products are very high quality but I feel like they are struggling to keep up with demand and are making a lot of mistakes?

You might wish to post in the official affiliate thread as well. Someone from the company is known to pop in there from time to time.

Carmina Shoes - Definitive Thread (reviews, advice, sizing, etc...) - official thread.

Carmina Shoemaker Mallorca Spain Some real gems from Carmina's Paris store. The guys there were a real pleasure to speak with, as well.

www.styleforum.net

 

[bpt7594]

Quick update on my Carmina experience. I had ordered 5 custom pairs of shoes through their configurator. Unfortunately of the 5 pairs 3 were incorrect, either made to the wrong size or not to the requested specifications. Customer service has been bit hit or miss, it has taken up to a month to get an answer in some cases. Their products are very high quality but I feel like they are struggling to keep up with demand and are making a lot of mistakes?

You can call them. I'm from Europe and calling them is free and they tend to reply very fast. I think they are growing too fast especially with the MTO tool. Introducing variety into an operation is always problematic, that comes with execution risks. I have a lot of MTO from them and they are mostly fine. The largest issue I had was a heel block that was not flat to the ground, but other than that nothing notable.

 

[bpt7594]

Hi all,
I have seen several comments regarding the large heel inside dimension of the Rain last, but nobody seems to mention if it’s a deal-breaker or not.
I can see where it might be a problem with a slip-on, but can someone comment on the width of the Rain-lasted heel cup for an Oxford?
I have Carminas on the Forest and Inca lasts, and the heel fit is fine.
Will a lace-up on the Rain be disappointingly loose?
10.5d/9.5E, high instep.

Thanks for any insights!

Rain is very strange.

Very big instep, very big heel. I personally don't have any but if I have to buy one it will definitely be an oxford with laces so that I can tie them very tight.

Inca and Rain heels are mostly the same, Inca has lower instep so you should be fine if Inca fits you well.

 

[bjornb17]

You can call them. I'm from Europe and calling them is free and they tend to reply very fast. I think they are growing too fast especially with the MTO tool. Introducing variety into an operation is always problematic, that comes with execution risks. I have a lot of MTO from them and they are mostly fine. The largest issue I had was a heel block that was not flat to the ground, but other than that nothing notable.

Just wanted to follow up to my experience again. I finally ended up getting it sorted with Carmina and they ended up giving me a 15% refund plus getting the shoes remade with the correct specs. Slightly inconvenient having to wait again but I'm very pleased that they got the situation sorted out and their shoes are so exceptionally nice that it is worth the couple hiccups here and there to get the finished product.

I also have to amend my previous statement saying to order your normal shoe size to say that I think if you're borderline it is worth ordering up 1/2 size as the shoes are very sleek and svelte and run slightly on the smaller side for their rated size. My sneaker size is 12US and now I'm ordering 10.5EEE UK which equates to about a 11.5E US whereas I would typically wear about an 11E or 11EE in Allen Edmonds.

I'm excited now that I have my sizing and last dialed in and can order future shoes with confidence.

I also ordered a belt through their custom belt program and looking forward to that as well!

 

[bpt7594]

Great that it worked out for you.

I can cut them some slack because they tend to offer reasonable resolutions quickly but it would be better if the problem was not there in the first place but what can you do ?

I tend to do the reverse. I hate having loose shoes so I tend to take the smaller size and break them in slowly.

 

[bjornb17]

Great that it worked out for you.

I can cut them some slack because they tend to offer reasonable resolutions quickly but it would be better if the problem was not there in the first place but what can you do ?

I tend to do the reverse. I hate having loose shoes so I tend to take the smaller size and break them in slowly.

That is true but I can only imagine the logistical headache of running a MTO shoe program where there are probably millions of spec combinations. I'd say I'm pretty forgiving because I'm pretty particular with my shoe specs and always felt like I've been having to compromise one way or another with other shoe brands, and now I can get the shoes exactly as I want them once they are made correctly.

On a similar note, now that Charles Tyrwhitt has a custom shirt program I've been making good use of that as well, haha. I think I just like tweaking things to my liking.

 

[bpt7594]

Be careful regarding sizing though especially if it's different types of shoes.

I wear Simpson 7.5 in boots, fit is 95% perfect. Break in is minimal but the shoes don't feel "loose" after break in. But in loafers made on the Simpson last, I need 7 to fit if not it's too loose and I have heel lift.

Best way is to have access to a store so that you can try everything out but that's not always available.

 

[LetsClapAlong]

I’m looking into a few carminas, but have a few questions. Since customer service has been a little… odd, I figure I’ll ask here.

I have a wide foot with a high instep. The high insteps suggests that I may want to go with rain, but I’m open to others.

In terms of width, I’m a UK 8.5g in G&G and Uk 8.5 EE on the 7000 last for lobb.

With all of this being said, which carmina lasts would you reach for?

Thank you.

 

[bjornb17]

I’m looking into a few carminas, but have a few questions. Since customer service has been a little… odd, I figure I’ll ask here.

I have a wide foot with a high instep. The high insteps suggests that I may want to go with rain, but I’m open to others.

In terms of width, I’m a UK 8.5g in G&G and Uk 8.5 EE on the 7000 last for lobb.

With all of this being said, which carmina lasts would you reach for?

Thank you.

I haven't tried the other lasts but the few pair I have are on the Rain EEE last. I have a high instep plus a thick foot, and I love to wear oxfords so most brands of oxfords have a very ugly wide open V on the lacing due to my foot shape. With the Rain EEE last and erring on a half size bigger they fit very nicely! There is a slight gap that I'm sure will close slightly over time, but they do look good as is. They definitely fit better than any of the many Allen Edmonds I've had over the years. The thing i like most on the Carminas is that the heels are slightly narrower so they hold your foot in place nicely.

 

[LetsClapAlong]

Thank you for your response. They sound perfect— especially the narrow heel.

How long does it take to get yours in?

Thank you.

 

[bjornb17]

Thank you for your response. They sound perfect— especially the narrow heel.

How long does it take to get yours in?

Thank you.

I've ordered several pairs and they all came faster than the stated 60 days. Seems about 4-6 weeks is the norm, and then the trip on Fedex from Spain to my house was only like another 3-4 days.

 

[PizzaSliceFeet]

Dear All,

A shameless repost of my sizing questions and the answers I got on the other thread.
I figured out that this might be a better place to ask them.

Currently, I own one pair of Carmina shoes on the Forest last in size 8.5 UK. These shoes fit me very well from heel to ball.
However, the toe box tapers in way too early for my feet. My toes are squeezed together so badly that I can only walk for a couple of minutes in these shoes before my feet start to cramp.

Therefore, I am looking for a last that fits similarly to Forest from heel to ball, but provides far more toe space.
To be more exact, I am not necessarily looking for a last:
- that is higher in the toe box;
- that is wider at the ball;
- that is significantly higher volume in the toe box.
Rather, I am looking for a last that tapers in later and, preferably, is also more asymetrical (more width/straighter on the big toe side).

I have made extensive use of the last comparison tool, but I am aware of the loss of information that occurs when projecting the 3D last shape on a 2D plane.
Nevertheless, by combining the projections from the last comparison tool with the information in this thread and the other sizing thread, I came to the conclusion that Oscar and Soller are probably my best bets.
Oscar appears to fit pretty similarly to Forest from heel to ball, but I'm afraid that its toebox is still too tapered for me.
On paper, Soller appears to offer the most toe space of all Carmina lasts, but at the expense of a (far?) bigger heel and instep.

Do you think that any of these lasts (or any other Carmina last) could work for me? Or am I better off looking elsewhere?

For your reference: I did not yet encounter a RTW last that fits me well.
TLB Mallorca's Howard last in 8.5 UK is the closest I got. This last is a bit too big in the heel and instep, and still too tight in the toes, but works quite well for me with non-captoe shoes in a soft leather and the usage of a tongue pad.
I did not try anything yet above Carmina's price level.

Try Llubi. I have the same issues with shoes, my toes need more space, but my foot is rather normal.
Llubi is a comfortable last. The instep may be a a bit lower.
Based on my research, Soller would the only last that is worth a try for myself.

Thank you for the advice.
You mention that Llubi might have a lower instep; this is somewhat surprising to me because I've seen many people mention that Llubi has a high instep and is the roomiest of all Carmina's lasts.
When you mention instep, do you consider purely the height under the vamp or rather the total volume under the vamp?

And to be honest, I don't find Llubi to be a particularly attractive last. It's perfectly fine in top-down view, but this small up-turn at the very tip doesn't appeal to me at all. Then again, I do have the same issue with my TLB Howards and it doesn't really bother me when they are on my feet. So it is something I am willing to overlook to obtain a proper fit.

Soller will give you more room at toes and heel is still relatively narrow. Rain has more room at toes as well but heel is significantly wider than same size in Forest or Soller

Thank you for the advice.
Rain will not work for me: the heel and instep are too big and the toebox is too narrow.

With thick socks (I want to order a boot), I can/should size up to 9 UK on the Forest last.
I imagine that this will be similar for the Oscar last, but will not apply to Soller. What would provide me with the most toe space: Oscar in 9 UK or Soller in 8.5 UK?

I have read somewhere on this forum that Oscar provides a bit more big toe room than Soller, whereas Soller provides more room for the pinky toe. This is something that definitely biases me towards Oscar but I would gladly hear your opinion on this.

Thank you for your advice.